Here’s what the NYT‘s story on its latest poll told readers:
In recent weeks, there has been much debate over the government’s role in guaranteeing insurance coverage for contraception, including for those who work for religious organizations. The poll found that women were split as to whether health insurance plans should cover the costs of birth control and whether employers with religious objections should be able to opt out. [E.A.]
If the Times says women were “split,” you know that must mean they were actually narrowly against the NYT‘s preferred position. Sure enough, when asked, “Should health insurance plans for all employees have to cover the full cost of birth control for female employees or should employers be able to opt out for moral or religious reasons?” women favored opting out by a 46-44 margin. The margin increased to a decisive 53-38 for “religiously affiliated employers, such as a hospital or university.
In recent weeks, there has been much debate over the government’s role in guaranteeing insurance coverage for contraception, including for those who work for religious organizations. The poll found that women were split as to whether health insurance plans should cover the costs of birth control and whether employers with religious objections should be able to opt out. [E.A.]
If the Times says women were “split,” you know that must mean they were actually narrowly against the NYT‘s preferred position. Sure enough, when asked, “Should health insurance plans for all employees have to cover the full cost of birth control for female employees or should employers be able to opt out for moral or religious reasons?” women favored opting out by a 46-44 margin. The margin increased to a decisive 53-38 for “religiously affiliated employers, such as a hospital or university.
That’s among women. Unbeknownst to those who read only the Times‘ main story, the poll asked the same question to men. They were not split. Men favored opting out by a 20 point margin (57 vs. 37), except when a “religiously affiliated employer” was involved, in which case the margin increased to 25 points. Combining men and women, a substantial majority (51-40) favors allowing an opt-out–increasing to 57-36 where religiously-affiliated institutions are involved.
These are not close results. It’s hard to read this poll and not conclude that, contrary to some accounts, Obama wasn’t such a genius to pick a fight over mandated contraception coverage–because he appears to be losing the public debate on the question. That’s a conclusion the Times story effectively hides from readers."
The WaPo/ABC poll asked Americans, "Do you think health insurance
companies should or should not be required to cover the full cost of
birth control for women?" It found that 61 percent of Americans think
insurance companies should be required to pay for it. But if "the
insurance is provided through a religiously affiliated employer that
objects to birth control, however, support for this requirement drops to
49 percent (52 percent of women, 45 percent of men)." (It's worth
noting that polls on this issue have varied significantly depending on
how the question is asked. When a poll specifies that the "federal
government" is the entity requiring employers to pay for birth control
coverage, support for the mandate in general is evenly split.)
In February, Obama was leading Mitt Romney, 51 percent to 45 percent
among registered voters. In March, Obama was trailing Mitt Romney, 47
percent to 49 percent among registered voters. The WaPo/ABC pollster
finds that Obama "did better among men and women alike last month, and
has lost ground slightly among both sexes this month.
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